Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-28
MARVELLOUS MIRAGE.
STRANGE OPTICAL ILLUSIONS on THE HIGH
HIGH PLAINS.
Phenomena That Sartls Victims Of MagiCians Of
the Ar-W0Niers ii Nature That
Seem Almost Beyond
Belief.

lew VI W. - AVN 81 "
which my " sense of sight has been be-
fooled by the freaks of the enchanter.
One summer morning, 81 years ago, in
the upper North Platte country, Irose from
my blankets, performed a pious act of sun
worship by yawuing toward the east, kick
together the parted embers of my campfire
and hytbought me Of water for my ablu-
tiOnS.
We had zone into biyouac late in the
night on IN open plain, and without any
clear notion OF where We were. There
We're a halt dozen of us, the leader being
the late General Hazsn, at the time of his
death, a year ago, chief signal officer.
He WAS then on 4 tour of inspection of
the new military post in Montana, aud |
accompanied the expedition AZ surveyor.
Having an aspiration for water, | natur-
ally looked ahOUt to see what might be the
prospect Of obtaining il, and to my surprise
and delight saw a long line of willows,
apparently some 3DO yards away. VIII
lows implied water, and snatching up q
camp Kettle 7 started forward, without
taking the trouble 10 put on my coat and
hat.
For the first mile or two / preserved a
certsin cheerful h~opelulnssS, but when the
sun had rlscu further toward the meridian
and began To effect my bare head most I'M
comfortably, and the Picketed horses at
the camp were hull down on the horizon
in the rear, and the willows in front in
creased their pace ont Of all proportion to
mine. / began To Grow discouraged and sax
down on "a stone 10 wish myself back. Per
rriving that the willows had also halted
for breath. Determined 10 make 2 dash at
them. leaving the camp kettle behind tn
make It's way hack rs best il could to my
hat and Dat
was now travelling dying light, aud
hal no doubt of nav ability to OyeItakc the
enemy. which had, however, disappeared
over tine crest Ola low sandhill. Ascending
this I was treated to 4 surprise.
Right ahead ct me lay a barren waste of
sand extending to the right and left rs tar
as / could see. It's width in the direction
that / vas going l Judged to be about 20
miles. Ca its farther border the cactus
PLAIN began again, slOPjng gradually up
ward toward the horizon, along which was
a fringe OF cedar tvees-the willows Of my
vision, lu that country a cedar will not
grow within 80 miles OF water ii it knows
!.
On my return Journey | coldly ignored
the appeals uf the camp kettle, and when
/ met thr rrSruiu& party, which had been
Tor some hours trailing me, made no allu-
sion To- ;hs real p1rpo-c Of my excursion.
When Ual.u asked il | proposed to enter u
plea OF trnuOrJry insanity | replied that |
would reserve my defense for he present,
and in fact never did disclose it till now.
/ had aftvrward the satisfaction OF seeing
HIlau. gu experienced plainsman, consume
4 full hour, rifle IN hand, working round
TO the lyewurd OF u dead coyote in the sure
aud certain hope Of haggtnEa sleeping buff
llO. Mirage or no mirage, you must not
too implicitly trust your eyes in the fau-
tast,c atmosphere Of the high plains.
/ remember that one forenoon | looked
forward 70 th. base Of the Big Horn Noun
tIins and selected "A most enchanting nook
iJr the nights camp. My good opinion OF
II was cnnfrmed when we reached it three
dJys ls'ec.
The deception in this instance was due
10 nothing hut the marvellous luCidity OF
the atmosphere and the absence Of objects
at known dimensions, and these sources OF
error Ir, ~p.Irj.vvS sufficient OF themselves
To pgulur. the Ilnst incredible Illusions
When the, ar, ia alliance with TIA" mi:agc
thu combinations pTlukS are simply be
wiltruI-.
Ouc0t tn must grote lge and least coal
Portable uJ iIv Experiences with the magt-
ciau, OF ne air occurred near the forks oi
the P.att, There had hrcu u tremendous
thunderstorm. l1'tjrg all night In the
mOrrjn. my party SET forward over the
soakrn rrtuic under L clOu6lesS sky in
ten~yIy hlg@
w. riding in advance absorbed in
thought. when | was suddenly reused to a
sense 81 m.ttgi1l things by cNclamatiousot
establishment and apprehension from the
men hehiud' Looking forward beheld a
truly terrifying spectacle.
Immediately ia front al II distance ap-
partut.y co. uat more than Il quarter Of a
Iniie, WIS 20 l"rg line OF the oat fOrmId-
able look,ug monsters that the Imagination
ever conceived. They were taller than
Tree In them the elements Of nature
spen.,j - Realistically and di%scordantly
mixed AND pleaded, compounded, too,
with architectural and mechanical details,
that they wlrtopk Of the triple character oi
animals, Erus-s aui machines. Legs they
had. aud an Amy with banners could have
marched between; bodies and ships might
have sailed between heads about which
earlas ullght have delegated to soar, and
ears-thry we're Singuiarly well gifted with
eays. But wheels, also, they Were en-
dOwyI with, ana vast sides Of blank wall
the wheels rs large As The ring OF n circus,
the walls white and high - ClIfs ot chalk
along an English c)ast.
Among them. on them, beneath, Ia and
a part oil thnia. were figures and fragments
OF figures ct Gigantic men. All were IN
extrjr,bly intcgblyuitd and s~uperPosed-
q man. head and shoulder blazpned on
the siGe oil an animal; u wheel with legs
for spukys rolling aioGG the creature 5
back, = vast section Ut wall, having no
contract with the earth, but with q tai
hanging from its reay, like a gigantic mote
of admi,ltiuu. moving along the line oh
scuriuy here an anatomical horror and
disclosing here - mechanical nightmare.
IN short, ,hJs appalling procession.
which VS. crGS-Ius Cug road with aStonlsh
ing TsD!dltg. seemed made up Of uuas,
signed aud uu.,Sprtej units, ont OF which
some imaginative god might be about to
create a world q! giants ready furnished
with some of the appliances OF a high civil
lizatiou. Yet the whole aPpayitiOn had SO
shadowy aud SPECTRAL a look that the terror
1t inspired was itself vague and indefinite,
like the terror o. a dream.
IL affected our horses as we'll rs our.
selyes-tEry extended their ueckS, threw
forward their edrs and backed along the
trail. For some moments We sat in our
saddles surveying the hldeous and e~Xtrava-
CANT spectacle, without q word and our
tOng2es were lU0>cGed only when IL began
rapidly 10 diminish and Tecede, and at last
1t was resolved into q train Of mules and
wagons, barely visible on the distant hori-
ION. They were ut least 10 miles away
aud outlined against the blue sky, with
nothing visible beyond where the surface
OF the globe tell way with increasing
steepue>S.
then remembered what my astOuish-
ment had not permitted NE closely to note
that this pageant had appeared to move
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